Head and Tail Light Tetra Breeding Guide

How to breed Hemigrammus ocellifer: sexing by swim-bladder shape, soft acidic spawning water, and rearing the tiny fry that hatch in 24-36 hours.

Overview

Hemigrammus ocellifer is a characid from the Amazon basin and Guyana, named for the glowing copper-gold markings near the eye and tail base. It is an egg scatterer with no parental care and spawns in soft, acidic water.

Sexing

The swim bladder, visible through the translucent body, tapers to a point in males but is rounded in females. Adult females are also slightly larger and more heavy-bodied.

Conditioning

Condition the fish with plenty of small live foods. They can be spawned in a group of about half a dozen of each sex, or in pairs after conditioning the sexes separately.

Breeding Setup

Use a very dimly lit tank of about 18 x 10 x 10 inches with soft, acidic water in the range pH 5.5-6.5 and gH 1-5, at around 80-84 °F (27-29 °C). Provide clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or spawning mops, or a mesh covering the base, plus a gently bubbling air-powered sponge filter.

Egg & Fry Care

The adults will eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. Keep the tank in darkness if possible. Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and the fry become free-swimming 3-4 days later. Offer infusoria-type food for the first few days, until the fry are large enough to accept microworm or brine shrimp nauplii.